Community
Bears in Your Neighbourhood
When bears enter residential areas, it is almost always because of accessible food. Reducing attractants is the single most important thing a community can do.
Why This Matters
In the Banff townsite in 1980, garbage availability led to a fatal grizzly mauling. That year, 48 black bears and 15 grizzlies had to be relocated, and 11 black bears and 9 grizzlies were destroyed.
Once a bear learns that human areas provide food, the behaviour is extremely difficult to reverse. Aversive conditioning (rubber bullets, pepper spray) works only on bears that have not yet developed habits around human food.
Reducing Attractants
Herrero describes an Italian national park where 10,000 people and 100 bears coexisted with zero bears at garbage dumps, because Italians composted food waste and did not discard edible items. The lesson: bears go where food is available. Remove the food, and bears stay away.
Garbage
Never store food waste in outdoor garbage cans. Store garbage indoors (garage, basement) until collection day. Use bear-proof bins if your municipality provides them.
Fruit trees
Pick fruit as soon as it ripens. Collect fallen fruit daily. If you cannot manage the harvest, consider removing the tree. Electric fencing around grouped fruit trees is highly effective.
Bird feeders
Take bird feeders down from April through November in bear country. Seed on the ground attracts bears.
Pet food
Never leave pet food or water bowls outside. Feed pets indoors.
BBQ grills
Clean grills thoroughly after use. Store them in a garage or shed. Grease traps are a major attractant.
Compost
Use enclosed, bear-resistant composters. Do not add meat, fish, or dairy to open compost piles.
Beehives
Place hives on rooftops or elevated platforms on metal-sheathed poles if electric fencing is impractical. Bears will destroy hives for honey and larvae.
Electric Fencing
Electric fencing is now regarded as highly effective for deterring both grizzly and black bears. Portable designs can be constructed by two people in about two hours and dismantled in 30 minutes.
Electric fencing is the most effective protection for gardens, orchards, beehives, chicken coops, and remote camps. Alert, aggressive dogs are also invaluable as early-warning systems.
If a Bear Is in Your Yard
Go inside and ensure all doors and windows are closed. Do not approach the bear.
Bring pets inside immediately. Dogs can provoke a bear into a charge.
If the bear is just passing through, let it leave on its own. Most bears in residential areas are transiting, not settling in.
If the bear is accessing garbage, bird feeders, or fruit trees, remove those attractants as soon as the bear leaves.
Report the sighting to your local conservation officer service (BC: 1-877-952-7277 RAPP line).
Do not attempt to chase or haze a bear yourself unless you are trained to do so.
Protecting Children
At least 4 children have been killed by black bears in rural settings. Herrero recommends carefully supervising children 12 and under when bears are known to be in the area.
- -Do not let young children play outside unsupervised in active bear areas.
- -Teach children what to do if they see a bear: do not run, back away slowly, get inside.
- -Ensure school playgrounds and bus stops near bear habitat are free of attractants.
- -Black bears in particular can become comfortable around human dwellings. Comfort does not mean safety.
Herrero's Key Insight
Black bears are more resilient than grizzlies at the population level (sustainable mortality rates of 12-18% vs. only 2-3% for grizzlies). But this resilience can create a false sense of security. A community that tolerates bears getting into garbage is creating dangerous, food-conditioned individuals that will eventually injure someone. Immaculate sanitation is the key.
This guide is informed by Stephen Herrero's Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance (3rd Edition, 2018), Chapters 16 and 17, and BC Conservation Officer Service guidelines.